I think yiu got a bacteria from,the chicken. Go to your doctor sounds like Carbinovactor virus. Think its misspelled but get yourself checked out, could be life threatening.

Hi David – the SCD diet aims to eliminate complex carboydrates, as they are harder to digest and break down and therefore can become food for potentially pathogenic bacteria. Thus, simple sugars are easier to digest and are allowed. I hope that helps!

My experience on the SCD was good, but I found the same issue if I added a lot of honey or a lot of fruit or a lot of dextrose….each caused my BMs to go from 4s to 5+ on the bristol stool chart. I never experimented with potatoes or any starches as I figured they were forbidden or only allowed when I was feeling great again.

HI Misty! Your body is going through a ton of changes and the fact that you’re still having a period is good news:) Testing out some starch is totally fine and jst continue to see how your body reacts with it. Calories can play a large role in whether or not our hormones are working correctly, so try adding in some more healthy fat like coconut oil and avocados as well.

I had the same problem for years and discovered I was overly restricting carbs. I don’t want to diss this guys diet but I highly suggest looking into the work of Dr. John McDougall. Just put his name in a google or YouTube search bar and you’re set.
Good luck

Hi Domenic – we encourage you to give it a try (as well as other safe starches mentioned in this article) now that you’re feeling good. We can’t promise it will or won’t work for you – the only way to find out is to test it out!

I have been on scd for 7 months to help come off a horrible flare of UC.. Despite lingering symptoms I feel much better. I am wondering if green banana flour is a safe starch I can test ? I really want to try and make some baked goods or protein bars for when I’m on the go . Than you 🙂

Hi Belle, thanks for reaching out to us 🙂

It is important to eat enough when you’re pregnant and we encourage you to listen o your body and talk with your doctor about this as well.

In general, we think the safest starches to increase are white and sweet potatoes, plantains (my favorite!!) starchy veggies like carrots and squash, tapioca, and even beans if you soak them before cooking.

Mariel,
I SO appreciate your response! As I mentioned, I’ve read so much about how “even cheating slightly” on SCD can mean never healing and having to start the diet completely over for any hope of success. So I find this view very refreshing and hopeful to know that I can possibly customize this to work for me and still heal — using it more as a guide and less as dogma. I hope more people start looking into this and share.
Anyway, I’ve sent you an email. Thanks so much again.

Hi Eruba – thanks for taking the time to comment.

We think starches have a lot of benefits for many people and we think you should eat the widest variety of foods you can that promote health for YOU.

If you email us at support@scdlifestlye.com we can give you all our resources for vegetarians

Eating enough is critical for success on SCD no matter what. We recommend tracing your calories to be sure you’re eating enough now as you continue experimenting with adding in more new foods.

I’ve already read (I think) all your views on vegetarianism on previous posts, but my question is could an active, strict vegetarian be a candidate for the “need more starches” category?

I’ve viewed the carb issue as a lose-lose. I either deprive myself, hoping to get better eventually but losing strength and possibly creating long-term issues (because I’m not sure but I’d think a diet that restrictive forever would not be good, plus SCD is supposed to be followed for a significant amount of time) or I eat carbs and never actually get better.

PS if you have any resources for someone in my situation(ie strict, committed vegetarian), I’d be so grateful (btw I’m dealing with leaky gut, ibs-d, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, what I believe is SIBO, and what mainstream doctors suspect is IBD but I’ve avoided colonoscopies).

thanks so much.

I’m wondering this, too, Chris. My son has “mild” indeterminate colitis (presents like Crohn’s). He’s doing great on SCD so far, but he’s going to hit puberty soon, and needs to gain weight. I know we’re not anywhere close to introducing starches (we’ve only been on SCD for a little over a month), but would love to know at what point we can start.

I’m guessing it’s when you’ve been symptom free for a while. Maybe a year?

Try quail eggs. Worked wonders for me.

Meal frequency. Here’s a comment I posted on Kresser’s website:

The Kitavans basically eat one big meal per day. That’s something most people who say that starch/sugars/carbs aren’t a problem because of the Kitavans’ diet carbohydrates % seem to constantly forget. When you eat one big dinner and not much else you can get away with eating pretty much what you want (on that island) and not get fat and sick, especially if your whole lineage going back thousands of years has never been touched by dirty 20th century industrial food products. These people have been on the equivalent of Ori Hofmekler’s Warriot Diet since the beginning of time.

So you can’t simply look at the Kitavans’ (or any other primtive peoples’) macronutrient ratios and compare those with the breakfast-then-lunch-then-dinner standard North American diet. What’s unhealthy in the long run is eating starch/grains/sugars all day long.

Also a few weeks ago I ate bread every day for a week with no symptoms. It was very good quality bread. Just wondering if you think i can tolerate bread also if I went a whole week?

Thanks so much for this website! Big fan!

Every blessing,

Jonny

Sean,
I had the same issue until I added safe carbs like sweet potatoe. Problem solved

My GI used the hydrogen breath test and diagnosed me with SIBO a couple years ago. I stayed away from safe starches but I recently started eating safe starches (sweet potato and plantains) after my workouts. I don’t seem to have digestive issues after consuming these foods. I know you suggested a blood glucometer but would I experience any other symptoms? As far as my digestive issues, I do notice at time I don’t feel like I have a complete elimination and I struggle with my lower abs. I feel like my belly protrudes out but that can be a fitness issue. I just wonder if there could be any other GI issues. My GI also dx me with IBS but that doesn’t say much. Thank so much for your help!

It’s unlikely that you have SIBO but there’s always an exception when it comes to the human body, sounds more like stomach acid issues and a different GI infection.

Christine, you may want to look into Saccharomyces Boulardii. It’s been shown to help with candida, and a lot of my candida symptoms improved once I started taking it. I use the Jarrow brand and take 3 capsules/day.

@Christine – thanks for sharing, in general my experience has been over and over you cannot starve candida it must be killed.

@Sean – Could help, without seeing a food journal I wouldn’t know for sure. Seems like some adrenal/sex hormone testing would be well worth the money to see if something is out of balance there.

@Shahar – This article talks nothing of how well UC people benefit from SCD. I think you need to spend some more time on the site reading all the success stories from people who have UC as they do very well on it. SCD is but one aspect of a treatment plan. Those coming off prednisone (an extremely powerful drug) typically need adrenal support and other supplements in addition to SCD.

@Dr Tim – Not familiar with the Fast tract diet but if they are describing fermentation of the starch in the small intestine… SIBO or yeast overgrowth is likely the issue which I stated above those who have these problems should avoid starch. Is that on the same track?

Great work guys, Thank you!

Dr TBrown